Converting more hump yards to flat switching has reduced the time a railcar is at a rail yard, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) said in its 2019 sustainability report released May 28.Union Pacific (UP) uses hump yards to sort railcars in such a way that blocks of cars are consolidated based on common destinations, the report said. Flat switching results in the same outcome but maintenance costs are much less, according to UP."Each time a car touches a [hump] yard, it adds about 24 hours to its journey. The key to an efficient network is ensuring cars stop only when and where they need to. When a hump yard's inbound traffic is reduced, it becomes more cost-effective for the yard to flat switch," UP said. To convert a hump yard to flat switching, inbound cars bypass the hump and a switch crew sorts the cars. Modeling software simulates the transportation plan changes and provides visuals on how many additional cars flow into a terminal and how long the trains will be that come out of those terminals, UP said. The software also helps the rail workers understand impacts on mileage, transit time and train starts. UP has converted hump yards to flat switching at Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Proviso, Illinois; and Hinkle, Oregon. The railroad also stopped humping cars in Kansas City, Kansas, and Fort Worth, Texas. The changes are part of UP's wider plan to deploy Unified Plan 2020, the railroad's version of precision scheduled railroading, an operating model aimed at streamline operations. UP describes the change as shifting its focus of operations from moving trains to moving cars, which in turn helps to increase car velocity, minimize car dwell and use or improve the utilization of train crews and assets, according to the railroad. UP also says it aims to increase train size, which in turn would enable the railroad to use less fuel and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions.Projects to add capacityUP's capital investments program in 2019 totaled $3.2 billion. One of the projects last year entailed constructing five new siding extensions on the Sunset Route between Los Angeles and points in Arizona and New Mexico. The extensions, averaging 7,000-7,500 feet in length, will help UP accommodate longer trains, UP said. Although UP didn't acquire any new locomotives in 2019 and doesn't plan to purchase any in 2020, it is modernizing its existing fleet, with nearly 350 high- and low-horsepower locomotives overhauled and rebuilt to meet more stringent emissions standards, UP said. Meanwhile, a yard modernization at the Los Angeles Transportation Center Intermodal Facility is also supposed to be finished in the fall of 2020. The multi-million dollar updates include the reconfiguration of thousands of feet of track, which UP says will improve fluidity and capacity and ultimately enable customers to pick up containers faster.UP is involved in two new logistics parks in Texas, the RCR Hempstead Logistics Park, which opened in northwest Houston in February of this year, and the Maverick Industrial Park in Eagle Pass. The railroad also has a partnership with Iowa Northern Railway, Valor Victoria and Watco. It launched intermodal service last December 2019 at the Butler Intermodal Terminal in Shell Rock, Iowa. UP spent approximately $70 million to restore railroad tracks and bridges in Nebraska that were damaged as a result of historic flooding, as well as restore tracks and assets harmed by flooding in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. See more from Benzinga * Companies Channel Spirit Of 'Coopetition' For Blockchain Success * Update: Trucking Employment Lags Broader Increase In U.S. Economy * US-Mexico Truck Crossings Decline 22% At Port Laredo In April(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

It’s not out of the question that the stock index could rise 10%, one analyst argues, because there are both fundamental and technical reasons why the stocks that will make up the pandemic recovery play can lead the way.

During the Wednesday Mad Money opening segment, Jim Cramer said he expected continued strength in retail and the rails (railroads). Let's take a look at Union Pacific Corp . In this daily bar chart of UNP, below, we can see that prices have retraced most of the February-March decline.

Shares of Union Pacific Corp. rose 1.1% in afternoon trading Tuesday, putting them on track to snap a 3-day losing streak, after the railroad operator provided a optimistic volume outlook at an industry conference. Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hamann said at the UBS Global Industrials and Transportation Conference that the company was "feeling just a tad more optimistic" on volumes, and "it does feel like things have maybe bottomed a little bit," according to a transcript provided by FactSet. She said second-quarter volumes were tracking at down 23% from a year ago, which compares with guidance provided in April of "down around 25%," amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamann said that "it's hard to call the bottom," given all the uncertainty surrounding reopenings of businesses and whether there will be a resurgence in outbreak with the coronavirus. "But the last couple weeks with the auto manufacturers opening back up, I would say the trend is looking a little bit better and it's making everyone feel maybe just a little bit more confident that we're on the right path here," Hamann said. The stock has gained 6.9% over the past three months, while the Dow Jones Transportation Average has slipped 3.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 3.9%.

Union Pacific today published its 2019 Building America Report, the company's annual sustainability report detailing progress toward its social, economic and environmental initiatives. The report, published on up.com/buildingamericareport, outlines Union Pacific's preliminary materiality assessment results, detailing issues most important to the company's stakeholders: employees, customers, investors and communities. Not surprisingly, customer service and satisfaction, rail safety and maintenance, and employment practices ranked highest. These results provide a roadmap for Union Pacific as it refines its environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

Although U.S. rail traffic is still sharply lower compared with the same period in 2019, rail volumes for intermodal and commodities such as motor vehicles and grain are higher sequentially on a weekly basis, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).U.S. grain volumes totaled 21,977 carloads for the week that ended Saturday, which is a 2.3% decrease compared with the same period in 2019 but 5.7% higher than 20,790 carloads for the week ending May 16. Meanwhile, weekly carloads for motor vehicles and parts were up 70.1% on a sequential basis to 4,874 carloads (but down 71.4% year-over-year), while weekly intermodal volumes rose 2.8% to 238,076 intermodal units (down 11.2% year-over-year).U.S. carloads for grain, motor vehicles and parts and forest products (SONAR: RTOMV.USA, RTOGM.USA, RTOPF.USA)Meanwhile, total weekly U.S. carloads rose 3.4% sequentially, although they're 27.5% lower year-over-year."Of the 20 carload categories we track, 15 had modestly higher loadings last week than the week before, led by motor vehicles and grain. Meanwhile, intermodal originations were higher last week than in any of the previous 11 weeks. While we can't yet say whether rail traffic and, by extension, the economy, have turned a corner, these are all encouraging signs," said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. He continued, "As areas across the country begin to reopen over the next several weeks, perhaps we can start looking for light at the end of what has become a rather long tunnel. Whatever the outcome, railroads will do their part to get us out of the tunnel safely and reliably."On a year-to-date basis, U.S. rail traffic totaled 9.5 million carloads and intermodal units, down 12.8% from the same period in 2019, while North American rail volumes totaled 13.1 million carloads and intermodal units, which is 11.4% lower than the same period a year ago.U.S. carloads and intermodal units over the past year. (SONAR: RTOTC.USA, RTOIT.CLASSI, RTOIC.CLASSI)UP eyes opportunities in intermodal, grainAt a virtual investor conference on Wednesday hosted by investment firm Bernstein, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) CEO Lance Fritz echoed AAR's observations about rising carloads for motor vehicles and grain products.Phase one of the trade deal between the U.S. and China has helped China get back into the export market, resulting in higher grain volumes for wheat and soybeans in particular, Fritz said.Fritz described how to look at economic growth and opportunities to increase rail volumes over the next year or two by focusing on three segments: trade, industrial production and consumer activity. The trade segment shows promise if the trade deal so far between the U.S. and China is allowed to mature even as a global recession remains a potential headwind. Meanwhile, U.S. and North American industrial production is "well positioned" to take advantage of global demand even as some customers consider onshoring or nearshoring opportunities in the long-term, Fritz said.But consumer confidence and activity are harder to pinpoint because of the wide range in consumers' responses to reopening businesses during and after the coronavirus pandemic, Fritz said. However, the housing market "hasn't completely cratered" and automobile plants are starting to open up, which could bode well for rail volumes."It's a pretty balanced mix in terms of what I see with headwinds and tailwinds," Fritz said. How Union Pacific (UP) benefits from onshoring or nearshoring will depend on where companies build their facilities, Fritz said. If the facilities fall on UP's franchise, then UP can compete for inbound or outbound business. If facilities land in Mexico or Canada, "it gets a little more tenuous but it depends on the books" or customers' supply chain needs, he said. But facilities near ports might prove more challenging because UP will have to compete with alternative rail carriers, other coastal ports and transloaders, Fritz said.Nonetheless, in the near term, improved, truck-like service as a result of precision scheduled railroading is helping UP see new opportunities for intermodal, such as in e-commerce and through partnerships to put domestic intermodal ramps in new locations, Fritz said.To counter an anticipated 25% drop in rail volumes for the second quarter, UP has taken measures such as furloughing employees in the engineering, mechanical, and train and engine divisions, asking managing staff to go unpaid for one week on a monthly basis and reducing executive pay by 25%, Fritz said. UP has also temporarily closed its Jenks facility in Arkansas, its DeSoto facility in Missouri and an engineering shop in Denver.See more from Benzinga * E-commerce Drives Multi-Pronged Expansion At UPS Airlines * Beef And chicken inventories Surge In April * Weekly Fuel Report: May 25, 2020(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") affirmed all ratings for CVR Partners, LP ("CVR"); including the B2 Corporate Family Rating ("CFR"), its B2-PD probability of default rating and the B2 senior secured notes rating. Moody's changed the rating outlook to negative, based on the expectation that projected lower prices for nitrogen fertilizers will lead to weaker credit metrics despite a strong US spring planting season.

In this article we will check out the progression of hedge fund sentiment towards Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) and determine whether it is a good investment right now. We at Insider Monkey like to examine what billionaires and hedge funds think of a company before spending days of research on it. Given their 2 and […]

The Board of Directors of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) has declared a quarterly dividend of 97 cents per share on the company's common stock, payable June 30, 2020, to shareholders of May 29, 2020.